The Little Deaf Man Decided to be Spoiled

46

Chapter 46
As dusk settled, the sun-kissed horizon gradually dimmed, with the deep blue sky sporadically illuminated by twinkling stars.
On the second floor of the guesthouse, the curtains of a flower-adorned balcony were drawn, with a faint warm glow emanating from within.
"You're staying here?!" The boy's voice rang out with a hint of astonishment.
After taking a shower, Ji Ruan sat on the bed. To his surprise, not only did Mr. Gu stay after having a meal here, but during Ji Ruan's shower, he even had Song Ling bring over his luggage, looking as if he planned to settle in for good.
However, Gu Xiuyi himself seemed perfectly at ease. He ran his fingers over a vine ornament on the headboard, nodding subtly, as if finding a place to stay here was the most natural thing in the world.
He glanced around Ji Ruan's small room. Though not spacious, it was immaculately clean. Its wooden structure exuded an elegant and rustic charm, and the various ornaments were quite exquisite, lending it a character vastly different from the monotonous hotel suites.
Ji Ruan tugged at the fluttering hem of Gu Xiuyi's clothes, "Shouldn't you be at a hotel? The suite you're used to, its bathroom alone is bigger than my entire room. Why squeeze in here with me?"
Gu Xiuyi turned to face him. Ji Ruan was sitting cross-legged at the edge of the bed, having to tilt his head back slightly to meet Gu's gaze.
His bedspread and duvet cover were a uniform dark green, like splattered ink spread out behind him. In the corner, a tree-branch shaped mood light flickered intermittently.
From Gu Xiuyi's perspective, Ji Ruan resembled a little sprite residing in a forest.
Gu Xiuyi sat down on the bed, not addressing the question, and reached out to Ji Ruan's lower back.
Ji Ruan quickly evaded, "What are you doing?"
Gu Xiuyi met Ji Ruan's wary eyes without flinching and pulled him closer, "Stay still. Your back's been hurting, hasn't it?"
Ji Ruan's struggle paused for a moment, "How did you know?"
Gu Xiuyi's expression remained unchanged as his gaze settled on Ji Ruan's face, "You'd see it too if you looked in a mirror."
"......"
At a loss for words, Ji Ruan realized just how exhausted and sore he was. With Gu's remark, he could imagine how haggard he must have looked.
Taking advantage of Ji Ruan's distraction, Gu Xiuyi pulled him closer, gently patting his lower back, "Relax. Let me massage it for you, or you'll cramp up tonight."
Gu's hand was warm, merely placing it on his back was comforting. And given that Gu's massage skills seemed to improve exponentially, it took mere seconds before Ji Ruan was completely at ease.
Ji Ruan had to admit he had a penchant for immediate gratification, finding it hard to resist anything that brought him comfort.
Even if such comforts might have hidden intentions or dangers, he'd rather indulge in the moment. After all, the future is uncertain, but we always live in the present.
A steady warmth radiated from his back, slowly enveloping him. The warmth from Gu Xiuyi felt like an elusive dream-gentle, unquestionable, and subtly pervasive.
Rationality nudged Ji Ruan, hinting he might have forgotten something, but his senses quickly slackened, instinctively leaning towards the warmth.
With his palm supporting Ji Ruan's lower back, Gu Xiuyi could feel the unnatural tension in the muscles there. "How long have you been standing? Why are you so stiff?"
Ji Ruan, already lulled into a gentle daze, answered with half-lidded, hazy eyes as if intoxicated, "Hmm... most of the day..."
A shadow passed over Gu Xiuyi's expression.
Suddenly, Ji Ruan furrowed his brows, the fingers clutching Gu Xiuyi's clothes curling inwards, letting out an involuntary soft moan.
Gu Xiuyi paused, "Am I pressing too hard?"
Ji Ruan nodded, rubbing his face against Gu Xiuyi's shoulder impatiently, "Softer."
Through his daze, Ji Ruan sensed a brief hesitation in Gu Xiuyi's breath before his response, a tone that seemed amused, "...Alright."
Ji Ruan's eyelids began to droop, but he suddenly blinked them open again. Despite his heavy drowsiness, a persistent thought clung to his mind:
"...Shouldn't you be heading back to your hotel?"
Gu Xiuyi gently lifted him, causing Ji Ruan to feel even dizzier with the cradling motion. He frowned and tugged at Gu Xiuyi's finger, "Stop moving."
"I can't go back to the hotel, Ji Ruan," Gu Xiuyi whispered in his ear.
"Think about it. Aren't we married? You're wearing my ring. We should be living together. And with all the media at tomorrow's event, it won't look good if we're apart."
Ji Ruan, still in his dazed state, murmured, "But... sharing a bed might not be...appropriate."
"It's not like we haven't shared one before."
"But the bed is small this time..."
"It's okay. We have two blankets."